The 10th Edition of the SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition opened recently at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, with more than 460 attendees from 150 companies and 38 countries.

The Opening Ceremony included keynote speeches from Ali Al-Muhairy, Senior Vice President, Drilling and Logistics in ADMA-OPCO, Adib Al Muimen, Conference Programme Co-Chair and Manager, Workover Engineering Department (WOED), Saudi Aramco, Janeen Judah, 2017 SPE President and General Manager, Chevron, and Mike DuBose, Vice President—International Development, IADC.

In his speech Ali Al Muhairy emphasized the need of collaboration in this challenging time that the industry is facing”. Furthermore, Adib Al Muimen said, “There is a very famous quote in the oil industry, “the only thing consistent is change”. This is extremely relevant with the current low oil price and the effect this has had since 2014. However, as an industry we have to look forward and plan for the future. This event will bring together industry experts to share their best practices and successes, allowing the drilling community at large to leverage and benefit from their experiences.”

The Executive Plenary Session, discussing the conference theme ‘Leveraging Knowledge and Technology to Manage Growth’ provided a valuable platform for major drilling experts from around the globe to share the latest technologies, techniques, and expand on their current knowledge base. Keynote speeches were delivered by industry experts such as Saif Al-Hebsi, Drilling Specialist, ADNOC, Omar Al-Husaini, General Manager, D&WO Operations, Saudi Aramco, James Blaine, Middle East JV Drilling Manager, ExxonMobil, David Reid, Chief Marketing Officer, NOV, and A. Salim David Khemakhem, Vice President Well Operations, ZADCO.

Additionally, the three-day comprehensive agenda includes two panel sessions that will form a platform for further exchange of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives by industry leaders. The panel sessions are titled ‘Automating the Drilling Process’ and ‘Importing and Integrating Best Practices and Knowledge’. There will be 19 technical sessions with over 55 presentations and a number of ePoster sessions.

30 national and international exhibitors participated in the free-to-attend exhibition, taking place alongside the conference, showcasing the latest in drilling technologies, equipment, and services.

Exhibitors include Aberdeen Drilling International, Alert Disaster Control, Burintekh, Cansco Well Control, Churchill Drilling Tools, Derrick Equipment Company, Drilling Systems, Drillmec, DrillScan, e-Drilling, Encapso, Frank’s International, GustoMSC, Halliburton, International Association of Drilling Contractors, MTU, NDC, NOV, Pegasus Vertex, Peloton, ProNova by TDE, Sakson Drilling & Oil Services, Schlumberger, Shear Bits, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Tesco Canada International, The Well Academy, Weatherford, Woodhouse International, and ZADCO.